a moment today

Day 9 in the Blog Every Day Challenge! Today is a photo of a moment from today. It has been a busy morning! I managed to crank out six watercolors for framed mini illustrations for the market on Saturday! Still so much left to do but it's a nice feeling to look at all of these lovelies spread out. There's also a new illustration of Lumen in there too...something is in the works...but alas, it is time to get back to work. So news on Lumen another time! 

busy little bee...

December is this Saturday. How did that happen? I feel like I was just getting mentally prepared to go back to Italy...now it's smack in the middle of Christmas shopping time. Oi vey... this means a lot of things, mostly work. With no art lessons until January, I can officially be classified as a freelance artist for the time being! Odd jobs and my Etsy shops are my only incomes at the moment, hence the work. Which is very welcomed, don't get me wrong. Nothing better to push the Italy blues away than diving back into my messy art bubble. And speaking of work, have you seen my new little loves!

I love them! I want to keep them all to myself! But I want to spread the Lumen love around some more. So both little sets are up in the Etsy shop now. I'm selling them as a duo and a trio of framed illustrations, each set has all three characters from my Lumen story. I also have a bunch of ideas for other new items for the Etsy shop and the holiday season. So keep an eye on those. The giveaway is still coming too I promise! The to-do list is lengthy and only getting longer...

In the process of writing this post I got a lovely comment from Jess over at A Smith of All Trades, who nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award! So sweet! Add that to the to-do list too! So many things to get done... I'm so happy I have this little grace period before real world work starts back up again. And on that note, back to work! 

radio silence...

I'll be on a plane in about 46.5 hours...oi freakin' vey. Still so much left to do and very little time left to get it all done and still see everybody. 

One HUGE thing got crossed off the to do/24 before 25 list: I mailed my manuscript for Lumen and illustration samples to three different publishers today. I get butterflies every time I think about it. I feel like I just sent my babies off to college or something. I've done all I can do and now it's up to them.  

I really hope that I'll be coming home to good news in a month. I'll be sending good vibes to my babies from across the Atlantic every day! I just hope that one of them loves her as much as I do. 

So it's likely to be pretty quiet on the blog for probably a week, until I get settled in Lucca and internet situated. I'll be updating on my sketchbook creations as often as I can while in Italy as well as three children's book commissions I'm taking with me to work on.  All the while trying not to instagram like a fool.  

Back to the check list and packing. Arrivederci e a presto! 

bits & pieces & procrastination

T-minus 11 days! Almost 10 now, since this day is almost over. October came so quick, and I know the next 7 weeks are going to go by even faster. *gulp*

I feel like I'm back in college again, and it's the last week before final critiques. Books are due, illustrations need to be finished, trade portfolios need to be printed, last minute instances of brilliance need to have occurred 15 minutes ago. I always liked the frenzy and chaos of the end of the semester, which is probably why I'm procrastinating damn near everything for these final days stateside.

To business! I made a decision on Lumen. I'm going to give her a chance with publishers first before I release her for sale on Blurb. Waiting a little bit longer may hurt her feelings but it will be better for her in the long run to give her a chance. 

And so, today I printed off some little proof booklets to send to publishers to give them an idea of the illustrations and the text together. I have my expensive prints I had made completed too. All that's left to do is buying the envelopes, getting return envelopes/postage ready and printing the manuscripts, cover letters and glorious amounts of sycophantic dribble. Aaand making the long walk to the post office. *double gulp* 

See the Turquoise Texan Chair??

I spent this past Saturday up at the C Gallery in Los Alamos for Olde Days trying to sell some goodies. It didn't go as well as I had hoped but it wasn't an entire loss. I sold a mini book! Hooray! And I just put one of the larger books I bound for the occasion up for sale in the Etsy shop. The shop will only be open until October 10, to give me time to get any last minute orders made, wrapped up and in the post before I leave! 

I'm getting antsy to use my big Terzo sketchbook! I've started sketching more with my fountain pens to try and get warmed up again. I'll scan those up and post them probably later this week...likely in an effort to procrastinate everything else on the big to-do list...

Gridlines Artist Book

That's about it for the night here. Time to get back to the studio art bubble. Here's some more little bits and pieces from the past week via instagramy...

Goodies read for Olde Days

Ricotta Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies! Via Wholly Kao

Maraca the next morning? Must have been a good night!

The Tin Foil ball & duct tape runway at the C Gallery

Party crashing at the neighbors

The Peace Farm and peaceful goats

Hello Lumen, it's so lovely to meet you!

My baby is here! My first printed copy of Lumen arrived yesterday afternoon and I've been smitten with her ever since! I feel like she's my newborn child or something, I just want to take her around town and show off her cuteness to the world! I snapped some pictures of her this morning before I rushed off to paint a silo for a wedding (more on that tomorrow...)

I love having her in my hands. But even more, I want her in the hands of other people and their little ones. Which poses a very hard decision. Do I, A: self publish her and release her for sale through the Blurb bookstore, or B: send her off to publishers and simultaneously renew my old nail biting habit while I wait anxiously for their decision...but potentially gain a larger audience and the rights to say I'm a real published children's book writer and illustrator.

This is hard. I also just dropped a nice chunk of change on having some real prints made of a few of my illustrations to send to publishers before I leave. So really, what's pushing back sharing her with the world just a little longer....but I'm really far too impatient to wait much longer. This is REALLY hard. HELP!

Does anybody out there have any thoughts on this out there??? In the meantime, enjoy some cute little owl eye candy. 

I could get used to this page pretty easily...

LUMEN

After  countless days of watercoloring like a madwoman, months of Dr. Seuss rhyming fits and endless hours of pondering, I am happy to announce...

Lumen. 

Is. 

FINISHED!!!! 

I just sent off my order for a printed copy minutes ago! Within a matter of days (thanks to extra shipping...grr...) I will have my lovely in my hand! I can not wait to meet her! 

Happenings!

They are happening! Two big ones to be exact...

1! I dropped off my biggest shipment of Pearl Snap earrings yesterday, 20 pairs to the Los Olivos General Store! Stoked! But this also pretty much cleared out all my stock of snaps, leaving only 7 pairs left! 

So I have them all on super sale ($10 each) in my Etsy shop. I would love to clear them all out as soon as possible then order up a ton of new colors before I take off.  Anybody craving any particular colors? You can find the listing here (and I have the rhinestones and 3 pair special on sale too!)
EDIT! ALL SOLD OUT!!!! YESSSSSS!!!!!

2! Lumen is almost done!!!!!! If you've been following me on Instagram, I've been posting little updates and peeks lately. I have 2 to finish up and 2 small ones to start/finish! She's so close.

So! This means it's time to start getting ready to sell her! If you'd like info on pre-ordering her when she is ready, keep an eye on the blog or comment with your email address and I'll add you to the mailing list. Pretty sure I'm still going to print her through Blurb.  Anybody have thoughts on Blurb? Or other book printing sites?

Well, I guess it's time to get back to the watercoloring...can't wait to have my little lovely in a real book!

bits & pieces lately and a giveaway!

There's a lot happening lately! A lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-you's...

This past weekend I participated in the Mother's Day gathering at the C Gallery. It went really well! I sold a bunch of cards, AND one of my Daisy Chain artist books! I had just brought it to advertise for my bookmaking workshop this summer but a lovely lady wanted to buy it as a gift for her friend! Stoked! Also exciting, the fliers have been printed for the workshop...time to start planning!

On to Lumen! As much as I want to keep posting regular updates of the illustrations, this is going to be the last real peek until the book is finished. Gotta keep something for a surprise! I finished another illustration yesterday and these little owls just keep making swoon!

Been making boxes like crazy for the pearl snap earrings. And sketching up a storm. And making earrings and bracelets like a madwoman...and in the midst of all this crafting and arting mayhem, I got this lovely surprise in the mail the other day...I'm officially a card carrying member of SCBWI!!!

And the last bit of lovely news! And it's big news! During this week over at the lovely Kitty's blog, A Law Student's Journey, there is a giveaway of a pair of my Pearl Snap Earrings! Check it out and enter if you would like to win a pair!

Lumen!

I want Lumen done and in print. I want to be able to hold her in my hands as a finished product instead of a handful of watercolors. I want her in my Etsy shop and on bookshelves.

I want all of this...by June! Eek!

I've been procrastinating working on her...well, I've really just been focused elsewhere with Livi & Grace and pearl snaps lately, but either way, she has been neglected lately and that needs to be fixed!

The text is complete. I've started formatting the book already. I just have about 5 or 6 more illustrations to do for the book to be ready to be printed! Time to get sketching!


With books and illustrating back on the front burner of my brain, I made a little Etsy treasury of all my favorite paper/book related items.

'books&paper&words&more' by NotionalNotions

books//journals//text//cards//words in many different shapes//forms & with infinite possibilities

paperstreak $12.00	sweetstellas $26.99	pilosale $6.00	BoPressMiniatu... $95.00
storiarts $39.99	knotandbow $4.25	TheOrangeWindm... $9.95	ARMINHO $35.00
cornflowerblue... $17.00	Gx2homegrown $4.50	PrettyTape $10.00	constellationc... $10.00
studioissima $425.00	Ciaffi $8.00	ShopKatharineW... $5.00	NatalieAsIs $42.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio

introducing Tuttles!

The last of my little owlets for Lumen is done! Here is Tuttles, Lumen's little brother. And I think he's pretty freakin' adorable!

 

What a sight to see, these sweet little three,

With Lumen in lead, dancing all day,

Then Basil behind, beak buried in a book,

And Tuttles at the rear, humming along the way.

So next up, time to draw out the rest of the pages and the little details then get it all into Blurb and printed! Huzzah!!! Getting closer to the first real book...

In the mean time, been pouring over an old Bon Appetit issue on Italy and now need to make some sweet potato gnocchi tonight...a variation on the last time I made it so hopefully it will be just as tasty.

Going to try to crank out another image for Illustration Friday, Livi & Grace and Lumen all this week...oi vey... going to be a long week...

introducing Basil & sketches as of late

I would like to introduce my newest little owl and character to accompany Lumen in her story, Basil! (I'm weird and like to pronounce it the British way, bae-zil!) I'm smitten with these little owls...I have one more little owlet to finalize, Lumen's brother Tuttles, then it's on to the other illustrations in their story...there's also a little sneak peek of the story down below...

Lumen’s best friend was named Basil

And he was just as special as she,

But Basil much preferred to read and write

And study all the creatures that they’d see

Here's a little peek at the sketches and plans I have for the book...there's a lot of projects floating around right now but hopefully I can crank out these illustrations pretty quickly, then get it into Blurb, printed and up for sale in my Etsy, ideally before summer. Lots to do!

Also, I was able to get some sketching in during my 2 week hiatus. I've been using my lovely neon orange fountain pen that my dear friend Kate Rodgers sent me for my birthday! It is an amazing little pen with the most fantastic blue ink...

The first one is of a coffee shop I found in Fullerton, California called Max Bloom's. Then the 2nd sketch is in Austin, Texas. A view of the Loop 360 bridge from atop Mount Bonnell.

And now I must get back to work...most sketches and illustrations to be done...a lot actually....oi vey!